Humanitarian flight on its way to Poland with much needed medical supplies for Ukraine
An Air Canada Dreamliner in Toronto was loaded with much needed medical supplies for Ukraine Wednesday night.
Some of the cargo was collected by the city's Ukrainian community, who spent donations buying over-the-counter medicine.
Slav Lukan, a Ukrainian living in Toronto, said people in his community just want to do whatever they can to help.
“It just feels amazing. The most important [thing], there’s lots of critical medications and supplies in there [the plane] and they’re going to be there in eight hours, in Poland, another four to five hours, they’ll be in a local hospital, just think about this.”
Global Medic is playing a major role in the humanitarian flight. The organization’s founder Rahul Singh said much needed trauma supplies for the wounded are on board as are essential medicines.
“People that are fleeing the fighting and trying to get to safety, they run with just the clothes on their back, they get to a train station, they move. Chances are, they have a medical problem. High blood pressure, diabetes, they don’t have their pills,” he told CTV News Toronto on the tarmac at Pearson International Airport.
If people become sick without their medicine, they could end up in hospital. But Singh said the hospitals are already full tending to the war wounded.
Global Medic is also sending 1,000,000 water purification kits to Ukrainian cities where their water supply has been shut off by the Russian invaders.
The U.S.-based Project C.U.R.E is also involved in this flight. Melisa Esposti said medical supplies are in great need in Ukraine and Poland.
“We work in 125 countries and most of the medical supplies that are on this plane tonight are from Project C.U.R.E.,” Esposti said.
Four separate organization are involved in the flight including, Air Canada, Airlink, Project C.U.R.E. and GlobalMedic.
Kevin O’Connor, VP of system’s operations for Air Canada, said much planning went into the flight.
“Can you imagine all the aid that is trying to flow into Poland right now? You have to coordinate a departure out of Canada and arrive in Warsaw, Poland. Can the airport handle it? Is there enough area because there is aid flowing in from around the world?”
The flight is set to land in Warsaw by mid-morning Thursday and within hours, surgical supplies will be moving to where they are needed most: a hospital in Lviv, Ukraine.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they've changed their name
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Trial begins for Winnipeg serial killer who claims he was mentally ill
The trial of a man who admits he killed four women in Winnipeg is set to begin Wednesday, and a law professor says lawyers for Jeremy Skibicki have multiple hurdles to clear for a defence of mental illness.
These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
New Canadian study could be a lifesaver for thousands suffering from CTE
A first-of-its-kind Canadian research study is working towards a major medical breakthrough for a brain disorder, believed to be caused by repeated head injuries, that can only be detected after death.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.